Best known for his Red and Blue chair, a modernist icon created using only two plywood plates and 15 connecting bars, Dutch designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld trained as a cabinetmaker, and his bold vision for furniture was supported by his expertise in construction and craftsmanship.
Born in Utrecht, Rietveld learned goldsmithing in addition to the cabinetry apprenticeship he had in his carpenter father’s workshop. He studied draftsmanship with architect Piet Klaarhamer at the Utrecht Museum of Applied Arts and opened his own furniture workshop in 1917. In the 1930s, Rietveld began to experiment with then-unusual materials like plywood and aluminum, and he pursued intellectual concepts through his design, even considering a seat as a resting place for the body and the soul.
Designed in 1918, the minimalist Red and Blue chair is widely coveted by collectors and gained admirers in the likes of legendary American sculptor and designer Donald Judd over the years. (Examples of Rietveld’s designs can be found in Judd’s restored home-museum in New York City.) The Red and Blue chair is so stunning in its geometric simplicity that it is one of the most important symbols of the Dutch art and design movement of the early 20th century called De Stijl, of which Rietveld was an important part. De Stijl means “the Style” and was an effort to express utopian values through pure abstraction in design and the use of primary colors.
Another example of Rietveld’s celebrated seating furniture is the Zig-Zag chair, which was commissioned by the Dutch department store Metz & Co. and intended to be mass-produced. The resulting design — to which the rights to manufacture were bought by Cassina in 1971 — is the essence of the De Stijl movement and an example of Rietveld’s experiments with jointless chairs made from a single material, wood. The Zig-Zag chair’s armless, legless, elegant form is pure abstraction, yet it is also sturdy and comfortable.
Later in his career, Rietveld worked more often as an architect, designing buildings in prestigious settings like the Venice Biennale. He was a pioneer in more ways than one: The first building he designed, Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht in 1924, is a radically modern space and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Find vintage Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.
Italian modern wood dining table Crate by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1980s
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern wood dining table Crate by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1980s Dining table from the Crate series, with a rectangular top made of wooden slats. The legs are made of cro...
Wood
Le Corbusier LC 6 Dining Table for Cassina
By Cassina, Le Corbusier
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Le Corbusier LC 6 Dining Table with a frosted Glass top. Iconic 1928 design that still looks new and current to this day! This one date...
Aluminum
$6,500
H 29.25 in W 60.25 in D 50 in
Frank Lloyd Wright for Cassina Arts & Crafts Cherry Wood Dining Table
By Frank Lloyd Wright, Cassina
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Arts & Crafts or Prairie style carved cherry wood dining table By Frank Lloyd Wright for Cassina Italy, 1992 (designed in 1899 for the Husser House in Chicago) Meas...
Cherry
$2,992Sale Price / item|42% Off
H 29.53 in W 70.87 in D 33.47 in
Franco Albini TL3 Dining Table for Cassina, Glass & Wood, Italy, 2023
By Cassina, Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
Prices vary dependent on the size and chosen material of the table. The base is available in solid ash wood or American walnut. The table is available in a rectangular or round version (the latter measures 130 cm in diameter and 75 cm in height) Table designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2013. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Franco Albini designed this table using the strut element that he had already employed in the design of the Veliero and Infinito bookshelves. In this instance, the legs serve as the vertical elements, solid, turned along their entire surface except for the square section onto which the horizontal table...
Glass, Wood, Ash, Walnut
Model 459 dining table by Takehiko Mizutani for Alivar, Italy 1980s
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bauhaus, Marcel Breuer
Located in ECHT, NL
Designed in the 1920s by Bauhaus designer Takehiko Mizutani but never manufactured until Alivar took it in production in the 1980s. Typical Bauhaus design with minimal use of materia...
Metal
Il Colonato Dining Table by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Red Persian Travertine with five columns. Can be arranged however you like. This is a very rare table.
Travertine
Post modern dining table by Roche Bobois, 1980s
By Roche Bobois
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Rare post modern dining table with a black metal frame and a black glass top. Beautiful post modern design. Good overall condition with normal user traces on the glass. 1980s - It...
Metal
$31,561
H 29.93 in W 86.62 in D 47.25 in
Mario Bellini Italian Carrara Marble Oval Dining Table for Cassina, 70s
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Puglia, Puglia
'Il Colonnato' oval dining table in white Carrara marble with evident gray veins by Mario Bellini for Cassina. The table features an...
Carrara Marble
$4,450 / item
H 28.35 in W 83.86 in D 52.37 in
Carlo Scarpa Sarpi Dining Table for Cassina, Glass & Metal, Italy, New
By Carlo Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
Price is dependent on the chosen size. Available sizes: 213 x 133 (octogonal shape) 213 x 163 (oval shape) 220 x 110 (rectangular) 150 x 150 (square) 200 x 200 (square) 200 x 200 ...
Metal
$9,300 / item
H 29.14 in W 88.59 in D 41.34 in
Mario Bellini La Basilica Dining Table in Ash Wood for Cassina, new
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
Price is dependent on the chosen size and number of legs (6 or 8). A designer table with an expressive name and exemplary construction, and a solid linear shape that reflects the new...
Wood, Ash
$4,250
H 27.5 in W 33 in D 33 in
1980s Theodore Waddell for Cassina 714 Tensegrity Chromed Steel Dining Table
By Theodore Waddell, Cassina
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a gorgeous and original 714 dining table, produced by Cassina. This table was designed by Theodore Waddell and was created after being inspired by Buckminster Full...
Steel, Chrome, Wire
Postmodern Dining Table by Ettore Sottsass, Italy, 1980s
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Antwerp, BE
Round dining table designed by Ettore Sottsass, a piece of postmodern design in Memphis style. The solid wood round top is supported by four metal legs with wooden bases. This table ...
Metal
Doge Dining Table by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina
By Cassina, Carlo Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Italy. Reversible metal base with glass top
Metal